Zephyrette (train)
Royal Gorge | |
First service | September 15, 1950 |
---|---|
Last service | October 2, 1960 |
Former operator(s) | Western Pacific Railroad |
Route | |
Termini | Oakland, California Salt Lake City |
Stops | 19 (scheduled) |
Distance travelled | 924 miles (1,487 km) |
Average journey time | 22 hours and 48 minutes (eastbound) 23 hours and 30 minutes (westbound) |
Service frequency | Tri-weekly |
Train number(s) | 1, 2 |
Technical | |
Rolling stock | Budd Rail Diesel Car |
Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
Operating speed | 70 mph (110 km/h) |
The Zephyrette was a tri-weekly train consisting of a
The Zephyrette RDCs achieved considerable cost savings over their conventional predecessor and steam locomotives running similar routes, as well as operational advantages related to their quick acceleration and high cruising speeds. However, they were only temporarily able to keep the service profitable, and the train was ultimately discontinued by the Western Pacific on October 2, 1960, just over a decade after its debut.
Background
The Zephyrette replaced the Royal Gorge in Western Pacific's timetable, which was itself a replacement for the Feather River Express.[2] The Royal Gorge had been established as a passenger train secondary to the California Zephyr, and was intended to help facilitate movement of Western Pacific employees as well as mail, food, and other supplies in addition to carrying paying passengers. However, the Royal Gorge struggled financially; as its average daily ridership dropped from approximately 60 to 40 people, it was losing about $2,700 per day, and was on pace to lose $950,000 over the course of a year.[3]
In November 1949, after eight months in operation, the Western Pacific decided to discontinue the Royal Gorge. It then notified the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) of its decision before exploring the possibility of transporting its employees by truck or bus instead of by train, which would have cost an estimated $165,000 per year. The discontinuance faced opposition from residents and businesses along the line who appealed to the California Public Utilities Commission and the Governor's office.[4] Ultimately, the ICC granted the Western Pacific's request to discontinue its daily Royal Gorge service with the condition that it be replaced by a route between Oakland and Salt Lake City that operated three times a week.[3]
Planning and preparation
RDC evaluations and orders
In January 1950, the Western Pacific conducted a ten-day evaluation with a Budd RDC-1 demonstrator in revenue service between Portola, California, and Salt Lake City, a distance of 600 miles (970 km). This test made it one of the first railroads to use an RDC in revenue service.[5] The runs were deemed a success, and they prompted the railroad to place the first order for an RDC from the Budd Company in May 1950, followed by a second purchase in July of that year. The two RDCs purchased were both of the 70-seat RDC-2 variety, and were numbered 375 and 376. The only difference between the RDC-2s that the Western Pacific ordered and the RDC-1 that it tested was that the former had a 17-foot (5.2 m) baggage compartment and 70 seats, while the latter had 90 seats but lacked the baggage section.[6]
Original and modified plans
Originally, the Western Pacific had planned to run a single RDC on a tri-weekly schedule between Stockton, California, and Salt Lake City, a distance of 834 miles (1,342 km) across California, Nevada, and Utah. This essentially constituted the maximum distance for which a single car could provide both eastbound and westbound service three times per week. However, the California Public Utilities Commission stipulated that the new service must extend to Oakland, meaning that the total one-way distance to Salt Lake City would be 924 miles (1,487 km). This mandate effectively forced the Western Pacific to purchase a second RDC in order to operate the new route three times a week in both directions.[5] It would also give the new Zephyrette service the distinction of being the longest RDC service in the United States.[7] After the railroad took delivery of its second RDC in July 1950, the new cars were evaluated on a variety of test runs in preparation for entering revenue service.[5]
RDC modifications
The Western Pacific's two RDCs also underwent a series of exterior and interior modifications before they entered revenue service. Exterior modifications included the addition of steel
Operation
The Western Pacific's Zephyrette consisted of a Budd RDC that was powered by twin
The new Western Pacific RDC service was dubbed the "Zephyrette" due to both its supplemental relationship and (thanks to its stainless steel exteriors) visual resemblance to the California Zephyr. After replacing the Royal Gorge in the Western Pacific's timetable, the two Zephyrettes inherited its train numbers: 1 and 2.[9] The inaugural eastbound Zephyrette left Oakland on September 15, 1950,[10] while the first westbound train departed Salt Lake City two days later, on September 17, 1950.[11] The service operated on a tri-weekly schedule, with eastbound trains departing Oakland at 7:57 pm every Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday, and their westbound counterparts leaving Salt Lake City at 7:30 am on the same days. Eastbound, the train's running time was 22 hours and 48 minutes, while westbound it was 23 hours and 30 minutes. In total, the Zephyrette route extended for 924 miles (1,487 km) and included 19 scheduled stops, as well as nearly 100 conditional stops.[8]
The Zephyrettes lacked the luxurious appointments of the California Zephyr, foregoing
Notes
- ^ Duke & Keilty 1990, p. 236
- ^ "Western Pacific Timetables". The Western Pacific Virtual Museum. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
- ^ a b Brehm, Frank. "The Zephyrette's - Trains 1 & 2: Page 1". Western Pacific Railroad History Online. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Brehm, Frank. "The Zephyrette's - Trains 1 & 2: Page 2". Western Pacific Railroad History Online. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ Duke & Keilty 1990, pp. 235–236
- ^ Duke & Keilty 1990, p. 217
- ^ a b c d e Brehm, Frank. "The Zephyrette's - Trains 1 & 2: Page 2". Western Pacific Railroad History Online. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ a b c Goodman, Jack (December 3, 1950). "A Streetcar to San Francisco". The Salt Lake Tribune. p. 62 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "WP Will Start New Zephyrette Run Tomorrow". The Sacramento Bee. September 14, 1950. p. 46 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Hearing Held On W.P. Bid To Cut Train". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah. July 26, 1960. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "SP Seeks To End Cross Bay Service". The Sacramento Bee. Associated Press. May 22, 1958. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Railroad Gets OK to Suspend S.F. Bus Run". Oakland Tribune. August 12, 1958. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Western Pacific Told to Run Trains". Oakland Tribune. May 19, 1960. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "ICC Blocks Halting Of 2 WP Trains". The Sacramento Bee. UPI. May 19, 1960. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
References
- Duke, Donald; Keilty, Edmund (1990). RDC: The Budd Rail Diesel Car. San Marino, California: ISBN 978-0-87095-103-9.